Colombia’s President Suggests Getting ‘Rid of’ Trump

Last month, the United States attacked a Colombian boat allegedly carrying drugs.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 23, 2025. Pamela Smith/AP Photo

Colombian President Gustavo Petro mused in an interview about getting “rid of” U.S. President Donald Trump, the latest escalation in a feud between the American president and the Colombian leader.

When asked during an Oct. 20 interview with Univision about doing what is best for his country, Petro said: “Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways.”

“The easiest way may be through Trump himself,” he added. “If not—get rid of Trump.”

Last month, the United States attacked a Colombian boat allegedly carrying drugs.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the boat was in international waters and that three “terrorists” were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were hurt, he said.

“The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER,” he said.

In an Oct. 18 post on X, Petro said that the U.S. action was “murder” and a violation of Colombian sovereignty.

He said the boat belonged to a fisherman, Alejandro Carranza, whom he said has no connection to drug trafficking.

He also said that the boat “was drifting and had a distress signal on because it had one engine up.”

The following day, Trump fired back, calling Petro “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia.”

Trump announced that the United States would cut off assistance, including subsidies, to Colombia.

The president said that Petro needs to tackle the drug production sites, “or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”

“They make drugs, they refine drugs, they make cocaine, they have cocaine factories,” he told reporters on Oct. 19.

“They have no fight against drugs, and I’m stopping all payments to Colombia.”

In his remarks on Univision, Petro denied that Colombia is unstable and alluded to the recent “No Kings” protests in the United States, which opposed the Trump administration.

“Trump said: ‘Colombia is out of control.’ Of course, it is out of his control,” he said.

“In a democracy, a government is under the control of the people, not Trump. He is not a king in Colombia; we do not accept kings here, period.”